The challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic had just hit, and PAB had to close its physical doors following the lockdown directive. Practically all their transactions were handled in-person, so keeping the business alive during the pandemic seemed impossible.
The Solution
A platform that allows them to painlessly move to a fully online format for their classes and keep the business running amidst a global pandemic. They needed something that will make it easy for their students to register for ballet classes online.
The takeaway
PAB can now gather important customer data, register new students, and receive payments for their teaching services. They have also been able to expand their reach and get more online students even after the lockdown.
Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet
Website:
https://paacademyofballet.com/
Industry
Arts & Education
Location
United States of America,
Use Case
Student registration forms.
The Journey with Formplus
Established in 1974, the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet (PAB) trains students who wish to study the art of ballet and also access the very best dance training available.
Taking the baton passed down by her parents fully in 2012, PAB has produced many awarded ballet professionals under Melinda Pendleton’s leadership. However, like many other businesses, they experienced a setback due to COVID-19 pandemic but were able to overcome it with Formplus.
When the pandemic hit
Not only did the rapid increase in the spread of COVID-19 create a health crisis across the globe, but it also had a significant economic impact. Many businesses had to shut down their operations completely, recording an irreparable loss. This same fate was what PAB risked facing before they discovered Formplus.
"We started using Formplus when we had to close our physical doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. We had to pivot almost immediately to a fully online format for classes, registration, and payment. Prior to using Formplus, pretty much all of our transactions were handled in-person or over the phone. But, that was not an option since we were not physically in the studio anymore" - Elizabeth,
The United States Government declared a stay-at-home order in March 2020 in light of the rapid spread of COVID-19, directing all non-essential businesses to suspend their operations. However, rather than simply stopping all classes due to this constraint, they decided to transition into an online business.
Surviving the lockdown
Now that they’d decided to transition into an online business, the next thing was to find a solution that perfectly addressed their problem. They wanted something that can be painlessly implemented and also fits their budget, which is why they chose Formplus.
“Formplus was highly accessible with pricing options that fit our budget. We were able to get up and running with Formplus in a matter of just a day or two.” , says Elizabeth
After creating a registration form on Formplus, students were able to enroll for online ballet classes and also make payments. In addition to registering students for online classes, PAB was also able to gather relevant data that helped them serve students better.
"Formplus empowered our students to register themselves for our online classes and pay for them on an enrollment schedule or on a class-by-class basis through integration with PayPal. We were able to gather important customer data that enabled us to serve both our current students and new students who found us online during the shutdown." , says Elizabeth.
Post-lockdown
Although the lockdown has been eased in the US and some other parts of the world, PAB has continued with her online classes. This has helped them access interested students in and outside the United States.
With Formplus, they can now track and have better control over the number of students they admit into each class both online and offline. Hence, they have continued using Formplus even after the lockdown.
“Now that we have reopened our studio doors―with all of the many precautions required by the ongoing pandemic―Formplus is still an integral part of our business. It allows us to keep track of and control over the numbers of students in-person and online per class, which is critical to our continued safe operation. We have made good use of some of the logic rules in building our forms to give us the information that we need." , concluded Elizabeth.